Apparatus for the automatic stacking of packages on movable platforms



Dec. 25, 1962 L. M. Y. BARRIOL 3,070,240 APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC STACKING OF PACKAGES 0N MOVABLE PLATFORMS Filed March 14, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lows M40: l fd' fiA'fi/OL ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY M ' A'ITORNEY L. M. Y. BARRIOL I APPARATUS FOR- THE AUTOMATIC STACKING OF PACKAGES ON MOVABLE PLATFORMS law's/Maw M/[s 5/4/6001.

Dec. 25, 1962 Filed March 14, 1960 Dec. 25, 1962 L. M. Y. BARRIOL APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC STACKING 0F PACKAGES on MOVABLE PLATFORMS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 14, 1960 INVENTOR A 00/5 MA /z WfS dam/a4 ATTORNEY Dec. 25, 1962. L. M. Y. BARRIOL 3,070,240

APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC STACKING 0F PACKAGES on MOVABLE PLATFORMS Filed March 14, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 -----=-4------'-4-1 I I 21 Z6 15 7 INVENTOR lows MAP/i Vt'S 64mm;

ATTORNEY United States PatentOfiiice Patented Dec. 25, 1962 Claims priority, application France July 29 1959 Claims. (ill. 214-6) Warehouses, such as those associated with commercial or transportation concerns, have to handle daily a large number of packages and boxes.

Such a handling is obviously considerably furthered in the recent years by the use of roller conveyors and of belt conveyors ensuring, without requiring any muscular effort, the progression of the packages, while platforms or boards are used, over which a number of packages may be stacked, the transportation of said packages being thenafter ensured by means of a hand or power-operated loadlifting carriage, which raises slightly such platforms or boards, so as to move them into another location.

However, between the moment at which the packages enter the roller or belt conveyors and their further transportation on platforms or boards, there is a gap in mechanical operation'during which it is necessary to resort to manual transfer; this transfer stage consists in the stacking up of the packages and their shifting onto the platform or board. An unskilled workman is therefore entrusted with the removal of the packages off the output end of the conveyor and their stacking on the platform, which forms a tedious Work associated with a considerable loss of time.

The present invention has for its object an apparatus for automatically stacking up the packages over a platform intended for their transportation. Said apparatus includes the use in combination of the following parts:

An elevator of the running belt type, located at the end of a roller conveyor and adapted to provide for the automatic loading of the packages;

A rectangular support or frame laid at ground level and carrying the different means provided for the positioning of the boards or platforms to be loaded;

A rocking member designated hereinafter by the abridged expression a rocker, which is secured to the frame, which, after it has been loaded wtih packages, executes a rotary movement through about one quarter of a circle, so as to lay the packages carried by it in superposed relationship on the platform or board which is suitably positioned in order to receive them.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawings illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of such an arrangement. In said drawings:

FIG. I is a general perspective view of the apparatus showing the rocker in its inoperative position.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the rocker at the beginning of its operative stroke.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the rocker in its raised position for which the packages are adapted to be laid on a platform.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically the path of the package towards the rocker.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a platform.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the apparatus with the rocker set in its raised position for the unloading of the packages.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the apparatus.

FIGS. 8 to 14 are simplified views showing'the different operative steps to be performed starting from the moment at which the packages arrive on the rocker to be laid by the latter on the platform which moves away after it has been loaded.

In the apparatus illustrated, the elevator is constituted by a conveyor belt 2 actuated by an electric motor (FIGS.-

1 to 4). Said belt, the length of which is about 1.50 meters, is located at the end of the roller conveyor 4.

The packages 5 fed by the roller conveyor 4 slide off the latter onto the belt 2 which carries them along and raises them slightly, say by about 15 cm., as illustrated in the example shown in FIG. 4, so as to lay them at the end of said belt onto a small slightly sloping conveyor including a few rollers 6.

Through said arrangement, the packages 5 slide automatically above and across the stationary frame 7 onto the rocker 8 which is thus loaded or fed automatically. The conveyor belt 2 does not operate continuously and it is controlled by roller-carrying contact-pieces, not illustrated, which are adapted to stop the belt by switching off the current as soon as two packages 5 have been set on the rocker 8 (FIGS. 4 and 8) and as long as said two packages have not slid down to the lower edge of said rocker. At this moment, the two roller-carrying contact-pieces are released, the current is restored and the belt'2 is started again, so as to feed the apparatus with two further packages 5.

The frame 7 (FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 7) includes at its lower end a slideway into which are introduced the platforms 12 which are to serve for the further conveyance of the packages.

Said platforms 12 move forwardly over the rollers 13 and are guided laterally by the rollers 14 (FIG. 1) fitted over ball bearings.

Said platforms 12 are driven by a shaft 15 (FIG. 1) provided at its end with a helically fluted wheel 16 which is in contact with the wooden surfaces of the platforms 12, so as to drive the latter forwardly through friction.

Said shaft 15 should always bear in a uniform manner and without any exaggerated pressure against the platforms, so as to absorb the small possible differences in level between the latter and to prevent any jamming, or else, any idle skidding. To tnis end, said shaft 15 is caried by a pivoting arm 9 and is weighted at either end by a mass 17 (FIG. 7) ensuring a uniftrm friction.

The driving shaft 15 driving the p'atforms 12 is driven by an eectxic motor 18 cont.olled by a switch 19 (FIG. 1) whizh is actuated in its turn by the packages 5 urging downwardly a plate 21 when they have entered theIr normal po ition on a platform 12 (FIG. 13).

The frame 7 is provided alsowith conveyor rollers 23 parallel with the rollers 6 and adapted to carry the package; 5 when they are fed onto said frame (FIG. 7). In spaces 24 provided between certain rollers 6 are inserted colapsible uprights 25 forming part of the rocker 8, the pivotal shaft 26 of which is secured to the frame 7, as described hereinafter.

The part p'ayed by the frame 7 consists therefore in:

Collecting the packages 5 on the conveyor rollers 23;

Positioning the platforms 12 and providing for'their forward motion;

Forming a support for the rocker 8.

The frame 7 lies at ground level and includes an extension resting on the ground through the agency of further rollers 27 which allow each platform 12, when loaded to be released and to enter the fork lift 28a of eevafor carriage 28 adapted to provide for the further conveyance of the platforms, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and I4.

Said frame allows therefore handling the packages as follows:

Two patfo"ms 12 are inserted endwise over the frame.

frictionally by the shaft 15 and then urged forwardly by the second platform 12b whih is driven in its turn by the shaft 15 and the first platform 12a is thus set automatically in the position in which it is to be loaded by the rocker.

When the platform 12a.(FIG.1'4)'has been eompetely loaded, it is urged further out and onto the outer rollers 27 through the platform 12b entering in its turn its loading position, under the action of thethrustproduced by the introduction of a further platform 12c, and so on.

As apparent from the preceding disclosure, the operation of said apparatus requires special platforms adapted to slide easily inside the .frame. Such a platform designated as 12in FIGS. 2, 3 and'S is provided in the upper surface with lands or projecting sections 32:: and 32b so as to 'form two recesses 32. The lower section of the rocker 8 has mounted thereon terminal plates 8a which are received in recesses 32 as shown in FIG. 3, so that said rocker can lay the p ckages onto the platform, thereby easily receding after leaving the packages in pos'tion. Beneath the upper surface of platform 12 there are provided stringers 32c and 32d forming additional recesses 32e into which fork lift 28a of elevator carriage 28 can be inserted (FIG. 14-).

The rocker 8 is-constituted -by a metal frame secured, through one edge,.to the shaft 26. round which it may pivot. The two ends of said shaft 26 rests on the main frame 7 of the apparatus, through the agency of ball bearings 33.

The side of the rocker 8 facing away from thesha'ft 26 inc'udes 'tww forks 30 forming extensions of the uprights 25 rigid with the plates 8a. said forks being adapted to engage the intervals between the rolers 23 carred by the frame, so as to be capable of raising the packages which are positioned on said rollers.

Alongside the legs of said forks 30, there are provided four rows of billS 34 forming guiding raceways for the packages over the rocker.

Across the ends of said raceways, there are p ovided, in parallelism with the pvotal axis constituted by the shaft 26, the two terminal plates 8a of the rocker on which the packages 5 are ad pted to hear.

The pivotal shaft 26 of the rocker is driven by an electric motor 35 (FIGS. 6, 7) th ou"h a S "d reducer 36 including a worm and a worm wheel. A reversing system alows providing for the pivotal motion of the rocker forwardly and rearwardly, as required.

The operaion of the arrangement de crbed is as follows: the packages 5 having en' a ed the rol ers 23 on the frame 7, as provided through the agency of the conveyor belt elevator 2, they are raised by the forks 30 of the rorker 8 and are thus released with reference to the stops 11 secured to the frame 7.

The package slide under the action of mere gravity along the raceways constituted by the balls 34 until it impinges against the terminal plates 8a on the rocker 8 (F G. 9).

After this'first stage, the rocker returns into its original position illustrated in FIG. 8 and, two further packages being positioned on the rollers 23, they are raised in their turn by the forks 30 of the rocker and they slide, as disclosed precedingly. under the action of gravity along the raceways until they are arrested by the two preceding packages (FIG.

The operat on is repeated a third time so that, three times two packages are loaded on the rorker 8, which is then caused to assume a vert'cal position, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Its terminal plates 8a enter then the empty spaces or recesses 32 in the underlying platform, so that the packages 5 rest on the projecting sections or lands 32a and 32b of said platform. The packages thus laid over the platform bear on the plate 21 secured to the frame 7, which plate controls switch 19 controlling the progression of the platforms, each of which progresses by the length of the packages 5 which is equal thereto.

At this moment, the terminal plates 8a of the rocker are released and the rocker may pivot rearwardly, so as to return into its starting position, with a view to executing a further operation having for its result to set a further series of three times two packages onto the platform adjacent the first series of packages and so on until the platform has been completely loaded.

At this moment, the platform projects entirely outside the frame 7, while another platform enters the location thus abandoned by the first platform and the operative cycle begins once over again.

The rocking operation has for its result to pile up the packages over transverse surfaces of the latter, instead of over the surface through which said packages bear when they enter the roller conveyor. This produces a considerable advantage in the case of racks for bottles such as wine bottles which have to be arranged horizontally when stored, but it may occur that it is necessary to pile up the packages in an upright position. .To this end, it is sufficient for the operator to lay down the packages at the moment at which they enter the apparatus. This is a very easy operation, since the operator does not have to raise .thepackages, but only makes them pivot round one of their ridges, .so as to turn them by Through said means, the packages are raisedinto their upright position when the rocker lays them over the platform or carrier board.

The apparatus disclosed hereinabove for the automatic stacking of the packages is of asimple and cheap execution. It allows, Without any handicraft being required, taking the packages at the output of a roller .conveyor and stacking them up in a methodical manner over the platforms ,serving for their subsequent transportation. Said apparatus is more particularly of interest, but by no means in an exclusive manner, in the case of warehouses wherein boxes, bottle racks of wood or metal, which may be full .or otherwise, are to be handled, as is required chiefly in the industries and trades relating to wine, beer, lemonade, mineral waters and the like. But it will be readily ascertained that the apparatus described may .serve for the transportation of any other type of packages.

Obviously, the apparatus described is not limited to the sole embodiment which has been more particularly described and it covers all the modifications thereof falling within the scope of the accompanying claims. In particular, it is possible to make the apparatus operate with three independent electric motors actuating respectively:

The conveyor belt feeding the packages into the apparatus;

The progression of the platforms over their path;

A third electric motor providing for a pivotal motion of the rocker round its shaft from front to rear and reversely.

The operation of said motors is synchronized and controlled by a set of contact-pieces which stop and start .the elevator provided with an endless belt and which provide for the progression of the platforms in accordance with a predetermined timing and raise the rocker either partly (FIG. 2), so as to make the packages slide over it, or else, completely, so as to set the packages in vertical relationship (FIG. 11), after which the rocker is returned into its starting position (FIG. 8). However, the three motors may as well be replaced by a single motor provided with a system of oleopneumatic control means. Similarly, it is possible to provide for control through photocell s instead of through mechanically operating switches.

The apparatus has been described as providing for the handling of two juxtaposed rows of groups of three superposed packages, but, obviously, the same apparatus may serve for handling a single row of superposed packate/ 111 ages, or else, for three or four or even more rows, while the number of packages to be superposed may be different from three.

What 1 claim is:

1. An apparatus for the automatic stacking of packages onto shiftab-le and portable pallets comprising first conveying means for moving packages therealong, a stationary frame disposed at substantially right angles to and at the end of said conveying means and carrying second conveying means for receiving said packages in predetermined numbers thereon, a slideway extending underneath and substantially at right angles to said first conveying means on which said pallets are intermittently moved, rocker means pivotally mounted on said stationary frame for rocking from a substantially horizontal position to a vertical position, said rocker means including third conveying means having a portion disposed across and beneath said second conveying means, means for rocking said rocker means from said substantially horizontal position to an intermediate position less than ver tical to stack a predetermined number of packages on said rocker means whereupon said rocker means is rocked to said vertical position to deposit on a leading pallet a stack of packages and means for intermittently moving said pallets along said slideway after said rocker means has been rocked from said substantially horizontal position to said vertical position so as to deposit further stacks of packages on said leading pallet from said rocker means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which stop means are mounted on said second conveying means to maintain a predetermined number of packages on said second conveying means While said portion of said third conveying means engages the packages as said rocker means is being rocked from its substantially horizontal position.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said rocker means includes a plurality of upright members on which said third conveying means are disposed, an axis parallel with and spaced from the longitudinal axis of said first and second conveying means on which said upright members are pivotally mounted, and terminal plates disposed at the ends of said upright members at right angles thereto to receive said packages prior to being deposited on said pallets.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said slideway includes an extension of said frame disposed underneath said rocker means, roller means mounted on said extension for moving and guiding said pallets therealong.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for intermittently moving said pallets includes a shaft mounted on said frame above said slideway having engaging means for engaging said pallets to move same along said slideway upon rotation of said shaft, and motor means operatively connected to said shaft to rotate same.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which said rocking means includes reduction gearing means connected to said axis on which said rocker means is pivotally mounted, and motor means operatively connected to said reduction gearing means to drive same.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which contact makers controlled by the location of the packages and providing for operation in a predetermined time se quence are disposed adjacent said second conveying means to control operation of said first conveying means and said rocker means and adjacent said rocker means where the packages are deposited on the pallets to control operation of the pallet moving means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which each pallet includes longitudinal lands separated by recesses, said terminal members being disposed within the recesses as said rocker means deposits the packages on the longitudinal lands of the leading pallet.

9. in an automatic stacking apparatus for packages the combination of rocker means tiltable round a stationary horizontal axis mounted on a frame and including two carrier surfaces at substantially right angles with reference to each other, the first carrier surface being disposed on the rocker means, the second carrier surface being disposed on said frame, the first carrier surface having upright members separated by gaps extending perpendicularly to said horizontal axis and being angularly tiltable between a substantially horizontal position wherein a portion of said upright members is disposed across and underneath the second carrier surface and a vertical position, means for shifting a predetermined number of packages side by side onto the second carrier surface, and at least one platform adapted to be shifted intermittently underneath said rocker means along a substantially horizontal slideway at right angles to said stationary horizontal axis after said rocker means has been shifted from said substantially horizontal position to said vertical position so as to deposit stacks of packages on said platform from said rocker means.

10. In an automatic stacking apparatus according to claim 9 in which said upright members adjacent said stationary horizontal axis have terminal members disposed thereon to receive packages from the second carrier surface, said platform includes a number of lands parallel with the direction of shifting of said platform, said lands being separated by recesses, said terminal members being disposed within the recesses as said rocker means deposits packages on the lands of the platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,508,698 Von Beren May 23, 1950 2,509,682 Golrick May 30, 1950 2,947,125 Wilson et al. Aug. 2, 1960 2,989,195 Dreyer June 20, 196 1 

